SL, The Liability?

[Marcus Jackson]

So something someone said a few days ago about SL that really grinds my gears, I think it was in the CO topic about them being under-appreciated, and when I mentioned that SL's were worse off, someone said most people pick SL for the perks and equipment... I have only one thing to say to that:

"WhatPERKS? What equipment?"

You mean the radio that constantly has PO, BO, XO, and CO whining in your ear for the better part of an hour (2 hours if Xenos are really trying... god-forbid)?

You mean the bag full of beacons that you have to carry around, while only 1 actually is paid attention to by the BO's?

You mean the flamethrowers you can't even use because your bag is full of beacons?

You mean the armor that sucks only slightly less than standard, and is a step below Spec despite you being technically more valuable?

You mean the fact that you can only use the guns everyone else has, with no special equipment, unless you want to be a dickhead and raid the Spec prep room?

You mean how both Marines and Officers ignore your input, orders, or your overall value every time you play?

While I don't know how I feel about SL being a white-listed position... I do feel like it is being overlooked, and simply treated like an advanced-grunt job that anyone can do and that it's easy a pie.

I'll start by simply saying SL prep-vendor should offer either combat-shotguns or some other form of unique weaponry, and that perhaps the armor could use an update or two, any other suggestions would be great to hear.

[elantzb]

Also, the fact that as SL you basically have to play DM (Dungeon Master) for all of your subordinates to keep the immersion/RP high, and prevent power-gaming within your ranks.

[Joe4444]

I've thought about this before, me being a SL main, i'll leave my input here

I play SL for the 1-2 odd rounds where you get a squad of pre alpha marines who follow orders to the book.That is fun as hell to play with, because everyone follows orders and you can actually do things.

The SL's perks are in fact quite useful. Need a quick crate of sentries, mines and other things when your at the table fort? put down a Supply beacon and shout at the BO to launch it.

the helmet can protect against 2 huggers, which is actually kinda useful considering most xenos can only carry 2 huggers.

The flamers can be given out to competent people, who know what to do with the flamer, they can be amazing in the right hands.

the headset however, is the BEST thing you get. Need support on your location? being overrun by xenos and could really use that support squad on your position soon? call in your location on comms, you might just save your squad.That radio, if used properly, can make or break a round. It can help you decide when its time to move forward, fall back, defend a certain place etc.It can and will save lives if in the right hands.

I NEED to stress it though, IT TAKES TIME AND PRACTICE TO PLAY SL.Its like a kid.Parents always say that no amount of training and stuff will be like the real thing.Same can be said about being a SL.You need to play a few rounds as a SL to truly grasp the role and how to use it.Will people hate you at first? yup. Will you get metagrudged for a while? yup.If you keep going though, you could be a great SL and people will look forward to being led by you, making even the most bald players more likely to follow your orders.

hope this answers your questions.

[Marcus Jackson]

I've thought about this before, me being a SL main, i'll leave my input here

I play SL for the 1-2 odd rounds where you get a squad of pre alpha marines who follow orders to the book.That is fun as hell to play with, because everyone follows orders and you can actually do things.

The SL's perks are in fact quite useful. Need a quick crate of sentries, mines and other things when your at the table fort? put down a Supply beacon and shout at the BO to launch it.

the helmet can protect against 2 huggers, which is actually kinda useful considering most xenos can only carry 2 huggers.

The flamers can be given out to competent people, who know what to do with the flamer, they can be amazing in the right hands.

the headset however, is the BEST thing you get. Need support on your location? being overrun by xenos and could really use that support squad on your position soon? call in your location on comms, you might just save your squad.That radio, if used properly, can make or break a round. It can help you decide when its time to move forward, fall back, defend a certain place etc.It can and will save lives if in the right hands.

I NEED to stress it though, IT TAKES TIME AND PRACTICE TO PLAY SL. Its like a kid.Parents always say that no amount of training and stuff will be like the real thing.Same can be said about being a SL. You need to play a few rounds as a SL to truly grasp the role and how to use it. Will people hate you at first? yup. Will you get metagrudged for a while? yup.If you keep going though, you could be a great SL and people will look forward to being led by you, making even the most bald players more likely to follow your orders.

hope this answers your questions.

Beacons don't entirely count as a perk as any marine can carry/use them but you being the SL are really the only person responsible enough to use them. Half a perk at best, half a hindrance at worst.

The helmet is ok, but I think it should bumped to 3 just for a little more staying-power. Another issue is that the Spec is the tank, while SL is middle-ground when it comes to armor, I'm fine with Spec having the MOST armor but SL should be much closer to spec in terms of tanking ability.

The headset would be great, if anyone listened or used it properly. When I play SL, I try to keep in contact with all the SL's, BO, CO and even PO... but communication is a 2-way street, and no matter how many times I say: "This is Delta SL, we need backup at Tcomms, we are under heavy assault!" across all channels, doesn't seem to make anybody get their ass in gear faster. No matter what you do as SL, you will always be at the mercy of others, having direct contact with command doesn't change when they give you the insainly-stupid order to push, when all squads can barely hold Hydro, and then ignore you explain why that is such a dumb idea.

I'm not arguing that SL requires practice and that it is just like being CO or Queen: it's a job that requires you to be more tactically sound rather than combat-wise, and while I'm moderately well known and well-liked as an SL (though not to Xur's level), all of that goes out the window if you have no supportive base in what is probably the second hardest job on the marines side.

Also, I play only SL and survivor for the human side, so this is coming from a black-belt SL... none of this Noob-salt or clueless wondering, this is stuff that can be cataloged and can only be noticed if you actually play SL and try your best playing to role.

[Renomaki]

Reading this, a part of me thinks two things.

1: You sound like you played with some awful commanders if they refuse to listen to your input on a situation. Any good commander knows to request status reports whenever possible to determine what action to take. I'm not sure if you had me as a CO before, but I tend to keep an ear out and have had games where I worked closely with SLs to ensure things moved along the way I want them to.

2: You think that SLs should have heavier weapons and armor, because what they currently have is mediocre. I partly agree with this, but I don't think giving them bigger guns and armor is going to make anyone a better leader. Hell, when I go SL, I rarely take a Pulse Rifle, if ever. Sometimes I take a shotgun, I had taken the flamer a few times, but normally I stick with a revolver. Why, you may ask? Because as a squad leader, your job is to lead first and fight second. You need to communicate a lot to ensure your squad is kept together and safe as well as to keep in touch with command so they know what is going on planetside, helmet-cam or not. You have grunts and a spec for a reason, let them do the shootin while you do the leadin. After all, the moment you give an SL a heavy weapon of some sort, they tend to get more focused on shooting their shooty bang gun as much as possible and less on leading their squad, thus turning into the Glorified Grunt, as I had coined.

Really, SLs need TOOLS more than weapons. Advanced radios, troop tracking beacons, a stronger suit-light, whatever gives them an easier time leading their men in and out of battle.

As for the whole "SLs don't get no respect compared to COs" speel, that isn't what I witnessed over the course of several months. Even after the whitelist was put into effect, you would have people in D-chat whining about how "the whitelist didn't fix anything" and how the very COs they voted for are bumbling idiots and that they could do better without a CO in general. Time and time again, everyone blames the CO for their failures, even if the situation was out of the CO's control. Lets not forget how common it is for SLs to ignore COs for a number of reasons as well, such as a recent infamous case where two fairly respected people chose to outright disobey due to their disagreement with a heavily thought out (although if I may admit, flawed) plan. Those two received SL bans, by the way.

I don't know why you think that SLs are not appreciated and that everyone listens to their COs no matter how stupid they may be, but I sure wish it was the case with me. I'd probably be the best damn commander ever if marines eagerly obeyed my every command... But that only kinda happens when I go SL.

[driecg36]

Reading this, a part of me thinks two things.

1: You sound like you played with some awful commanders if they refuse to listen to your input on a situation. Any good commander knows to request status reports whenever possible to determine what action to take. I'm not sure if you had me as a CO before, but I tend to keep an ear out and have had games where I worked closely with SLs to ensure things moved along the way I want them to.

2: You think that SLs should have heavier weapons and armor, because what they currently have is mediocre. I partly agree with this, but I don't think giving them bigger guns and armor is going to make anyone a better leader. Hell, when I go SL, I rarely take a Pulse Rifle, if ever. Sometimes I take a shotgun, I had taken the flamer a few times, but normally I stick with a revolver. Why, you may ask? Because as a squad leader, your job is to lead first and fight second. You need to communicate a lot to ensure your squad is kept together and safe as well as to keep in touch with command so they know what is going on planetside, helmet-cam or not. You have grunts and a spec for a reason, let them do the shootin while you do the leadin. After all, the moment you give an SL a heavy weapon of some sort, they tend to get more focused on shooting their shooty bang gun as much as possible and less on leading their squad, thus turning into the Glorified Grunt, as I had coined.

Really, SLs need TOOLS more than weapons. Advanced radios, troop tracking beacons, a stronger suit-light, whatever gives them an easier time leading their men in and out of battle.

As for the whole "SLs don't get no respect compared to COs" speel, that isn't what I witnessed over the course of several months. Even after the whitelist was put into effect, you would have people in D-chat whining about how "the whitelist didn't fix anything" and how the very COs they voted for are bumbling idiots and that they could do better without a CO in general. Time and time again, everyone blames the CO for their failures, even if the situation was out of the CO's control. Lets not forget how common it is for SLs to ignore COs for a number of reasons as well, such as a recent infamous case where two fairly respected people chose to outright disobey due to their disagreement with a heavily thought out (although if I may admit, flawed) plan. Those two received SL bans, by the way.

I don't know why you think that SLs are not appreciated and that everyone listens to their COs no matter how stupid they may be, but I sure wish it was the case with me. I'd probably be the best damn commander ever if marines eagerly obeyed my every command... But that only kinda happens when I go SL.

I completely agree with the "sl's need more tools," but I feel like new sl's have a much less enjoyable experience than well know ones. Sure, the fact that your text is extra large in comms is INSANELY helpful at raking in boots, but unless most people have seen your name before, a lot are just gonna ignore you.

Another thing is that the wiki for SL's is kinda ass. It is extremely minimal; it doesn't actually give you tactics on how to deal with uncooperative grunts and officers, or even impart any practical info that would be extremely helpful to a new sl. (for example, my first SL game, I didn't know I had access to the pod shutter so we died in the pod due to boiler gas.) I feel like a better wiki for SL's would also go a LONG way towards helping new ones get more respect.

[Renomaki]

I completely agree with the "sl's need more tools," but I feel like new sl's have a much less enjoyable experience than well know ones. Sure, the fact that your text is extra large in comms is INSANELY helpful at raking in boots, but unless most people have seen your name before, a lot are just gonna ignore you.

This here is a huge problem that applies to both the CO and the SL, but SLs suffer it far worse when it happens.

Having someone new to command staff can be a bit of a burden at times, but as long as you have intelligent SLs, they can still push through regardless. After all, SLs do most of the fighting and leading on the ground, while the command team simply tries to organize movements and attack orders. Having people new to SL, however...

While people scoffing at an unknown CO is one thing, having people shun an SL they hardly know is terrible, and is the reason why on occasion you will have a large number of players in game, but be missing an SL or two... Because a lot of people lack the confidence to even try leading in the first place. SL is one of THE most stressful roles in the game, which many may attempt and few will stick around. I myself don't play SL too often because it is the kinda role that requires a lot of mental preparation to play, and can be very tiring after a few days of it, let alone a few rounds... Although it is quite satisfying at times, even in losing rounds.

I know that the reason people tend to disrespect unknowns in the SL role is because it is a role of trust, and when you have a stranger leading you, you tend to get untrusting of them.. That was how it was like for me when I started out. Of course, while others might give up, I kept going, day after day, until I got my grove and people knew my name. It truly is a role that requires an awful lot of dedication and experience, and you will struggle in the beginning to get people to respect and obey you.

[Rocco Ward]

This here is a huge problem that applies to both the CO and the SL, but SLs suffer it far worse when it happens.

SL is one of THE most stressful roles in the game, which many may attempt and few will stick around. I myself don't play SL too often because it is the kinda role that requires a lot of mental preparation to play, and can be very tiring after a few days of it, let alone a few rounds... Although it is quite satisfying at times, even in losing rounds.

Reno is correct about this. SLs pretty much are the main factor in whether marines win or lose. Knowing when to perform an assault, counter-attack, tactical retreat, FULL RETREAT, flank, ambushes, etc. while keeping your squad organized in the mayhem takes ENORMOUS patience and skill.

Although I disagree that SLs are under powered. Their main purpose is to micromanage the squad and give commands. They shouldn't be fighting primarily, but relaying orders and making sure marines are doing what they need to. Also the flamethrower is an EXCELLENT weapon for the SL, it gives you the ability to lay down area-of-denial attacks to prevent the xenos from flanking. Bonus points for weed burning! (good for retreats also)

One thing I see a lot with newer SLs is that they almost always take point on patrols, and get KIA as soon as the squad makes contact with hostiles. It fucks the squad over badly when this happens. In fact many times when I am a grunt and I see our SL doing this, I volunteer to lead so that when we do get attacked I'm gonna be the first in the meat grinder.

[Marcus Jackson]

Reno is correct about this. SLs pretty much are the main factor in whether marines win or lose. Knowing when to perform an assault, counter-attack, tactical retreat, FULL RETREAT, flank, ambushes, etc. while keeping your squad organized in the mayhem takes ENORMOUS patience and skill.

Although I disagree that SLs are under powered. Their main purpose is to micromanage the squad and give commands. They shouldn't be fighting primarily, but relaying orders and making sure marines are doing what they need to. Also the flamethrower is an EXCELLENT weapon for the SL, it gives you the ability to lay down area-of-denial attacks to prevent the xenos from flanking. Bonus points for weed burning! (good for retreats also)

One thing I see a lot with newer SLs is that they almost always take point on patrols, and get KIA as soon as the squad makes contact with hostiles. It fucks the squad over badly when this happens. In fact many times when I am a grunt and I see our SL doing this, I volunteer to lead so that when we do get attacked I'm gonna be the first in the meat grinder.

Same for the top stuff, SL is the sticky resin that holds our corps together in a fight.

I'm NOT saying we should strap every SL with a mini-gun or a Death-Star laser, but their armor could use some definite rehashing considering that when push comes to shove I get totally trashed, yet Spec has a scuffed knee for the same intense combat that happens. The helmet is ok, but I would like Spec to have like a 4-hugger limit, with SL having a 3-hugger limit. The reason I said more unique weapons wasn't a call for SADAR or anything, but really just different stuff that doesn't come standard (Combat-shotgun was my example because the only difference is you don't need to pump, but it changes your load-out and strategy completely, they don't even do different DMG when buck or slug lands but it's just something that makes SL feel different from normal grunts in terms of their equipment.)

Flamethrowers are ok, but as SL you should be near the middle of any formation unless you are assaulting Hive, so FF can sometimes be an issue. The main problem is the tanks don't fit in the ammo belt, and for slots of your bag are already full with beacons... so I end up just leaving them outside my prep-room saying: "Anyone that wants them can have them."

[Marcus Jackson]

Reading this, a part of me thinks two things.

1: You sound like you played with some awful commanders if they refuse to listen to your input on a situation. Any good commander knows to request status reports whenever possible to determine what action to take. I'm not sure if you had me as a CO before, but I tend to keep an ear out and have had games where I worked closely with SLs to ensure things moved along the way I want them to.

2: You think that SLs should have heavier weapons and armor, because what they currently have is mediocre. I partly agree with this, but I don't think giving them bigger guns and armor is going to make anyone a better leader. Hell, when I go SL, I rarely take a Pulse Rifle, if ever. Sometimes I take a shotgun, I had taken the flamer a few times, but normally I stick with a revolver. Why, you may ask? Because as a squad leader, your job is to lead first and fight second. You need to communicate a lot to ensure your squad is kept together and safe as well as to keep in touch with command so they know what is going on planetside, helmet-cam or not. You have grunts and a spec for a reason, let them do the shootin while you do the leadin. After all, the moment you give an SL a heavy weapon of some sort, they tend to get more focused on shooting their shooty bang gun as much as possible and less on leading their squad, thus turning into the Glorified Grunt, as I had coined.

Really, SLs need TOOLS more than weapons. Advanced radios, troop tracking beacons, a stronger suit-light, whatever gives them an easier time leading their men in and out of battle.

As for the whole "SLs don't get no respect compared to COs" speel, that isn't what I witnessed over the course of several months. Even after the whitelist was put into effect, you would have people in D-chat whining about how "the whitelist didn't fix anything" and how the very COs they voted for are bumbling idiots and that they could do better without a CO in general. Time and time again, everyone blames the CO for their failures, even if the situation was out of the CO's control. Lets not forget how common it is for SLs to ignore COs for a number of reasons as well, such as a recent infamous case where two fairly respected people chose to outright disobey due to their disagreement with a heavily thought out (although if I may admit, flawed) plan. Those two received SL bans, by the way.

I don't know why you think that SLs are not appreciated and that everyone listens to their COs no matter how stupid they may be, but I sure wish it was the case with me. I'd probably be the best damn commander ever if marines eagerly obeyed my every command... But that only kinda happens when I go SL.

1: Yep, though usually it's more like I go almost completely ignored until they need something from me. I've had you as CO rarely, and unfortunately you are one of rare CO's that takes SL input into account.

2: I would like slightly more beefy armor, as that seems like a more pressing concern for SL equipment at the moment. I said more unique weapons, simply to add variety for the SL load-outs and I would prefer that the general Damage Output of an SL stay in-between Grunt-weapons and Spec-weapons. I wish I could only carry revolvers with me, but when it comes down to it your Marines need to be lead by example sometimes, and sometimes that means turning a crusher into goo with a mix of slugs and buckshot... also it's kinda demoralizing to see your leader using a pistol (a weapon mostly for last resort) as his primary/only weapon during a big fight.

I agree on the tool thing as well, I wish we had an "SL tracker" like the Xenos do for the Queen as that would help immensely. A brighter light would definitely be a great addition, but the radio doesn't seem like something that can be changed too much.

For me, unless Xur is playing SL alongside me I find it hard to maintain respect with both Grunts and Command at the same time, also you'd be surprised how many times I'm the last SL alive... seriously, most of the time that I play marines I'm either the only SL not in surgery, or I'm the only SL still breathing. So when shit hits the fan and I'm the last guy in charge, and when we are getting our collective asses kicked, I call a retreat to FOB and power like a logical person would do, CO says: "Come on Marines! Stand and fight, we can win this!" despite the fact Xenos have at least 20 more than us, and also most of us are injured... and the worst part is that some of the grunts will listen to me, finding my logic to be sound and trusting my experience, but the rest are too afraid of CO (or getting banned) to actually do the smart thing.

I've had several run-ins with CO's threatening to have MP's kill us for mutiny (even if it is justified), and have also had a couple debates with admins over me being job-banned from SL... granted not for the same reason as what Xur did but still, and then I have to explain why as SL I can ignore a dangerous/incompetent order, especially if I'm the last SL with a pulse.

[Marcus Jackson]

I completely agree with the "sl's need more tools," but I feel like new sl's have a much less enjoyable experience than well know ones. Sure, the fact that your text is extra large in comms is INSANELY helpful at raking in boots, but unless most people have seen your name before, a lot are just gonna ignore you.

Another thing is that the wiki for SL's is kinda ass. It is extremely minimal; it doesn't actually give you tactics on how to deal with uncooperative grunts and officers, or even impart any practical info that would be extremely helpful to a new sl. (for example, my first SL game, I didn't know I had access to the pod shutter so we died in the pod due to boiler gas.) I feel like a better wiki for SL's would also go a LONG way towards helping new ones get more respect.

I'm moderately well known as SL, but I have definitely seen what you are talking about with newer SLs trying to do their job and go almost completely ignored until myself or another SL straighten the squad out.

Wiki is almost useless for SL, honestly they should have like a Forum on here specifically for SL's just as a general Q&A on what they would need.

[Marcus Jackson]

You know what, I'm gonna make a new topic to help teach people about SL. Anyone wanna help me answer questions?

[driecg36]

You know what, I'm gonna make a new topic to help teach people about SL. Anyone wanna help me answer questions?

I have a little sl experience, but I generally try to observe what competent sl's do. If you want me to help you with anything, I'd be glad to.

[Marcus Jackson]

I have a little sl experience, but I generally try to observe what competent sl's do. If you want me to help you with anything, I'd be glad to.

Just posted a new topic, if anyone has any questions and I don't answer withing like 12 minutes could you try your best to answer them? Thanks dude.

[Renomaki]

2: I would like slightly more beefy armor, as that seems like a more pressing concern for SL equipment at the moment. I said more unique weapons, simply to add variety for the SL load-outs and I would prefer that the general Damage Output of an SL stay in-between Grunt-weapons and Spec-weapons. I wish I could only carry revolvers with me, but when it comes down to it your Marines need to be lead by example sometimes, and sometimes that means turning a crusher into goo with a mix of slugs and buckshot... also it's kinda demoralizing to see your leader using a pistol (a weapon mostly for last resort) as his primary/only weapon during a big fight.

Honestly, I don't give a crap about what weapon a person is using, as long as he knows how to use it. You could have a guy who uses a pistol and he'll probably get more kills than the guy with a Model 1 Pulse Rifle. In the case of SLs, there is a time and a place to fight. Sometimes you need to get up close and personal with a xeno and stab its eye out, but sometimes you need to keep in the middle of the group and only pop a few shots here and there while you communicate with your squad and assess the situation. 1 gun won't win a battle, but a supply beacon on the front lines can.

And if we DID decide to give the SL a weapon, an autoshotgun is a bad idea. It is a considerably powerful weapon that can easily knock down and slaughter most xenos. It's power alone is the reason why admins forbid its use planetside except for rare occasions (such as receiving it in a weapon crate) or when defending the Sulico. I can imagine the idea of giving each SL their own autoshotgun causing SL quality to drop and more silent rambos to spawn as people run around double-buckshotting xenos and wiping the floor with them. Trust me, I got to use it and get killed by it, it is stronk.

Maybe something that encourages more defensive play over aggressive play would make for a good weapon, be it a modified revolver or a type of SMG with more punch to it. Just strong enough to put some dents in xenos, but light enough to discourage ramboing.

For me, unless Xur is playing SL alongside me I find it hard to maintain respect with both Grunts and Command at the same time, also you'd be surprised how many times I'm the last SL alive... seriously, most of the time that I play marines I'm either the only SL not in surgery, or I'm the only SL still breathing. So when shit hits the fan and I'm the last guy in charge, and when we are getting our collective asses kicked, I call a retreat to FOB and power like a logical person would do, CO says: "Come on Marines! Stand and fight, we can win this!" despite the fact Xenos have at least 20 more than us, and also most of us are injured... and the worst part is that some of the grunts will listen to me, finding my logic to be sound and trusting my experience, but the rest are too afraid of CO (or getting banned) to actually do the smart thing.

I know what it is like to have clueless command staff who blindly give orders without really checking the ground status. So many hive attacks failed because they fail to organize their troops and everyone gets scattered, and if SLs aren't reminded to use their supply beacons (since in the heat of the moment, a lot of them tend to forget the importance of supplies on the attack), the troops will run out of supplies and be starved off xeno turf, to which the xenos will eagerly take advantage of and push forward to fully take over the planet.

However, sometimes in the marines, you just have to grin and bear some of the more cruel orders. I myself am the kind of CO that won't retreat easily, and would rather throw everything I got to hold a vital LZ than simply surrender and recall 30 marines who are more than capable of fighting (to which those same marines end up dying on the shuttle due to the aliens rushing them and gassing them). Being in the army isn't always fun nor fair. You will be given orders you don't like, and you will have to accept them, no matter how boring or dangerous they may be. Exceptions can be made if the CO orders something that is either much too meta (such as blowing up every tunnel you see when you have yet a good reason to do so ICly), illegal (such as plundering the colony like barbarians) or just plain stupid (putting an absurd amount of effort to recover as much booze from the colony as possible without logical reason why).

In the marines, life isn't fair. You will be told to run into enemy fire and die at least once (a very real thing that has happened throughout history), and you will be expected to carry it out as any brave marine would. It isn't no tea party.

I've had several run-ins with CO's threatening to have MP's kill us for mutiny (even if it is justified), and have also had a couple debates with admins over me being job-banned from SL... granted not for the same reason as what Xur did but still, and then I have to explain why as SL I can ignore a dangerous/incompetent order, especially if I'm the last SL with a pulse.

If a CO has to threaten marines with the MPs, then he clearly lacks charisma to convince them to listen to him. A good CO communicates and converses, a bad CO hits people with a whip when he doesn't get his way.

[Marcus Jackson]

Honestly, I don't give a crap about what weapon a person is using, as long as he knows how to use it. You could have a guy who uses a pistol and he'll probably get more kills than the guy with a Model 1 Pulse Rifle. In the case of SLs, there is a time and a place to fight. Sometimes you need to get up close and personal with a xeno and stab its eye out, but sometimes you need to keep in the middle of the group and only pop a few shots here and there while you communicate with your squad and assess the situation. 1 gun won't win a battle, but a supply beacon on the front lines can.

And if we DID decide to give the SL a weapon, an autoshotgun is a bad idea. It is a considerably powerful weapon that can easily knock down and slaughter most xenos. It's power alone is the reason why admins forbid its use planetside except for rare occasions (such as receiving it in a weapon crate) or when defending the Sulico. I can imagine the idea of giving each SL their own autoshotgun causing SL quality to drop and more silent rambos to spawn as people run around double-buckshotting xenos and wiping the floor with them. Trust me, I got to use it and get killed by it, it is stronk.

Maybe something that encourages more defensive play over aggressive play would make for a good weapon, be it a modified revolver or a type of SMG with more punch to it. Just strong enough to put some dents in xenos, but light enough to discourage ramboing.



I know what it is like to have clueless command staff who blindly give orders without really checking the ground status. So many hive attacks failed because they fail to organize their troops and everyone gets scattered, and if SLs aren't reminded to use their supply beacons (since in the heat of the moment, a lot of them tend to forget the importance of supplies on the attack), the troops will run out of supplies and be starved off xeno turf, to which the xenos will eagerly take advantage of and push forward to fully take over the planet.

However, sometimes in the marines, you just have to grin and bear some of the more cruel orders. I myself am the kind of CO that won't retreat easily, and would rather throw everything I got to hold a vital LZ than simply surrender and recall 30 marines who are more than capable of fighting (to which those same marines end up dying on the shuttle due to the aliens rushing them and gassing them). Being in the army isn't always fun nor fair. You will be given orders you don't like, and you will have to accept them, no matter how boring or dangerous they may be. Exceptions can be made if the CO orders something that is either much too meta (such as blowing up every tunnel you see when you have yet a good reason to do so ICly), illegal (such as plundering the colony like barbarians) or just plain stupid (putting an absurd amount of effort to recover as much booze from the colony as possible without logical reason why).

In the marines, life isn't fair. You will be told to run into enemy fire and die at least once (a very real thing that has happened throughout history), and you will be expected to carry it out as any brave marine would. It isn't no tea party.



If a CO has to threaten marines with the MPs, then he clearly lacks charisma to convince them to listen to him. A good CO communicates and converses, a bad CO hits people with a whip when he doesn't get his way.

Honestly anything to add to the SL arsenal would be nice, though like I said some stronger armor seems to be much needed.

Half the time my beacons are already deployed because someone gibbed their SL with SADAR or something. I usually have all my beacons used by the time we either win or I die.

I get that sometimes missions are difficult, it's to be expected when the enemy has freaking ACID for blood, but some CO's seem to lack the sound mind to realize that 12 injured marines can't hold 20 xenos long enough for an entire squad to get patched-up, resupplied, re-armored, and then flank the enemy. Hell, I'm all for pushing the Grunts, Engineers, Medics, and SLs to their physical limits... but when it turns into a slaughter-house that has a 2% chance of victory in the BEST case, you need to know when to cut your losses and reorganize what you have for a better strategy... also less hosts for the alium-babies.